Attention 3G users.

[MobileSlider]

This question is for you lucky <bleep> who have 3G coverage in their country. I am in the US and 3G is quite slow to roll out, even in big cities.

I live in Omaha, Nebraska & we have close to 1 million people, but sadly no 3G yet:(.

So I was wondering if when you guys buy a new phone, is 3G an important deciding factor?

Is it a deal breaker, or just a preference?

[Onkez]

Are you kidding me?!Of course it is!Don't know why Americans don't have yet it's in abundance here in South Africa.For me it's not only 3G that's important but HSPDA (high speed packet data access),which is why I bought the N95.The 3G is essential because I know use my phone as a modem and it has broadband speeds.If you're not sure about 3G availability in your area anytime soon then I suggest you don't break the bank with buying a useless 3G mobile.Hope you too can have 3G/HSDPA so you can experience the magic of video calls & broadband speeds on your phone,it's really neat!

[MobileSlider]

Well. one reason the US is so slow to roll out 3G is that GSM is relatively new to the USA.

We have had CDMA & IDEN technology for so long, that people just didn't seem to care about using their phones as modems or viewing videos on a cell phone. As long as the phone was free and you could make/take calls & text....everyone was happy. People here are just now starting to want more from their mobiles.

I do have EDGE where I live & it is actually surprisingly fast, although of course, I would rather have 3G.

I just bought the 6500 Slide & I can't use the 3G (actually the frequencies aren't supported anyway), and I was just curious to see what others thought.

I am sure once we get 3G, I won't have it any other way.

[Pixel Peeper]

Well, actually it depends on where you live.

Over here, I have friends who subscribed for 3G but the video call quality is so bad (image looks like a mushed up piece of junk) and data transfer rate is damn slow.

Depends on provider, city, etc. Best to get some friends as your guinea pigs first before you sign up later on.

To answer your question: No (for me), 3G is not a major deciding feature that I look for in a new phone (at least it ain't gonna be for me for the next 5+ years the way I see it)